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| Molly Likins |
Sophomore Molly Likins, a two-sport athlete at The College of Wooster in softball and swimming, heads to Sao Paulo, Brazil this weekend to compete in the 2019 World Deaf Swimming Championships from Aug. 25-31.
Likins is one of 10 on the women's team and 16 overall who will compete for Team USA. She is listed on the psych sheet in four events including the 200 breaststroke, 50 breast, 100 breast and the 100 free.
This will be her second time competing in the World Deaf Swimming Championships after competing in San Antonio, Texas in 2015.
"What I learned from last time is that every swimmer is different, and [they have] different racing techniques that work for them," Likins said. "I just have to focus on what works for me and how my races breakdown."
In 2017, Likins competed in the Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey. There she set national records in the 50 and 100 breaststroke and then in the mixed medley and women's medley relays.
"Turkey was an absolute blast," Likins said. "Not only seeing my friends again and saying goodbye to friends that were retiring after 2017 but meeting other athletes from different sports. It was really an eye-opening experience competing in another country and experiencing a culture different than ours."
Likins suffers from a hearing impairment which leaves her completely deaf without her Cochlear implants. She received her first in her right ear at the age of 3 and another in her left when she was 14.
Her mom connected her with USA Deaf Swimming after some research found Likins was not able to compete in the Paralympics.
"Getting involved with the US Deaf National Team changed my life because it opened opportunities for me to meet and befriend other people in the deaf community," Likins said. "I do not have a very big deaf community at home, so meeting people who are similar to me absolutely a breath of fresh air."
As a first-year, Likins earned All-NCAC honors in the 200 and 400 medley relay and school records in the 200 medley, 400 medley and 100 breast. In softball, she was an All-NCAC First Team selection batting a .429 average with one home run and 12 RBI.